Shopping for Cool in Namba
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2006
1
6
18
Trip End
Dec 23, 2006
Osaka,
Japan
Sunday, February 12, 2006
It was our friends Hide and Nina that led us down to Osaka for a Sunday of shopping
1. The Gang
. They guided us through Namba, which is considered the cool shopping district of the younger generation. Much of the district consists of narrow streets thronged with people that are walled by tall, colorfully painted buildings budding gaudy signs. Rap, reggae, and punk music pumping out of the stores blends together, mirroring the mixed crowd in which youngsters strut past decked out in styles ranging from exaggerated ghetto to extreme gothic. The flavor of this district was quite rich and unlike anything I know back home, although I admit that I don't have many such urban experiences to compare it with. I apologize for not haveing any pictures of this place, but they would not do it justice anyway.Hide and Nina took us to the most famous stores that they could think of. We climbed up to third stories and down to basements in search of cool. As time passed our Japanese guides seemed to be growing worried; none of us Gaijin had bought anything. What was the problem? The stores had a very "cool" feel, but we were looking for something Japanese. Clothing all had English, and not the poorly spelled and nonsensical English found on clothing at department stores (which feels very Japanese to us.) These things were all second-hand goods from America. Although perhaps the epitome of hip-ness in the minds of many Japanese young, much of what is sold in Namba is a little too close to home for a Giajin
2. Hot Stuff
. But, what better way to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday!We set out in search of something that would feel more Japanese. On the way we passed through an area of Namba geared more to an older and more conservative crowd. All the streets there were covered, giving the odd impression of being outside and inside at the same time. The stores were typical mall stores, perfume, electronics, candy. With Valentine's only two days off, there were huge displays of chocolate. Valentine's Day is much more commercial in Japan then it is in the Western countries of its origin. Only women give chocolate on Valentine 's Day though. The men have to wait to return the favor (which must be double what the woman paid) until White Day, a month later.
As evening was setting in, we finally found a store that screamed of Modern Japan. Video games on the first floor, J-pop and anime and the second floor, porn on the third floor (we skipped that one), models and collectibles on the fourth floor and manga on the fifth. The store held all the essentials of Japanese pop-media. Finally Hide and Nina could witness Gaijin gleefully browsing and buying. After this triumph we returned north on the train and ate dinner at Mos-buger in downtown Hirakata city. Mos-burger is a very cool burger chain with the Motto: "Hamburger is my life." I learned that spaghetti sauce is better on a burger than ketchup, and eggs and avocadoes go nicely too. Our meal might have been considered Western to Japanese, but it seemed Eastern to us. Mos-burger is a perfect example of that unique marriage of cultures that Japan has excelled at for so long. But, we do it in America too. And it is happening everywhere as globalization takes hold. Culture is becoming relative.
